Ripley outlasts Lady Hawks

Myrtle was unable to shake a second half run, falling to Ripley, 63-48, on Friday.

After Tasha Graham tied the game with her jumper right before the half, the Lady Tigers opened the third quarter with a three-pointer by Shunquest Howell, and Ripley went ahead by as many as 10 before a timeout by Myrtle.

Baskets by Aspriona Gilbert and Jenna Jordan made it a six-point game, but Ripley responded with a 6-0 run to take a 12-point lead into the fourth quarter.

Gilbert tried to keep Myrtle in the game, scoring the first five points of the fourth, but a three-point play by Howell kept Ripley’s lead in double digits enroute to the win.

“Their pressure hurt us and took us out of sync,” Myrtle head coach Chris Greer said. “We didn’t play good tonight. I would love to play them again, but they outplayed us. They were the better team.”

Myrtle opened the game scoring the first five points and held a three-point lead going into the second quarter.

The Lady Hawks led by as many as five in the second before Jayla Chills gave the Lady Tigers the lead late in the frame. Free throws by Meshay Cox gave the Lady Hawks their final lead of the game, 27-25, before Graham’s basket before the half. Ripley outscored the Lady Hawks 36-21 in the second half, and Myrtle had several missed opportunities, including hitting only 7-of-13 free throws in the half.

“I don’t think they made any adjustments, we just didn’t play well and didn’t convert,” Greer said. “We missed easy lay-ups that could have put us back in the game, and then the momentum was with them. We just didn’t score enough.”

Gilbert led all scorers with 17 points, while Meshay Cox scored 11 and Halle Knowles 10 for the Lady Hawks.

Becca Ruckes led Ripley with 16 points, followed by Chills with 14 and 13 points from Howell.

Myrtle 90 Ripley 88 (boys)

Robert Montgomery scored 34 points as the Hawks held on for a two-point win Friday night.